Glutes and the Golf Swing A Brief Introduction to Golf Biomechanics and How Training Your Glutes and Pelvic Rotators Can Prevent Injury and Improve Performance By Drew Tanner, Director of Fitness The National Golf Club of Kansas City The golf swing is easily the most biomechanically complicated athletic movement. To be successful it requires every single joint and muscle group working together in perfect, precise sequence. Many doctors, physical therapists, sports psychologists, chiropractors and performance coaches have made careers focusing only on helping golfers improve their game.
The reason for this golf specialist industry boom is simple. First, the golf swing is an incredibly unnatural motion for the human body. In order to get into the proper positions necessary to perform the movement, a golfer must manipulate their body position pretty drastically. The above photo breaks down all of the different joint movements of the backswing, just one of many phases of the golf swing. There is clearly a lot going on here and this diagram highlights the challenge golf professionals face in understanding the biomechanics of the body as it relates to the game. Most golfers play only as a hobby and do little away from the game to prepare the body for the required movement. Due to the sheer number of individual structures in the body, even individuals who appear to be aesthetically fit are bound to have several areas of
immobility, instability and weakness that will negatively affect the golf swing. These issues can manifest themselves in both poor performance and physical pain. Second is the sheer number of people who play the game. In 2014 it was estimated that there are 25 million people in the U.S. who consider themselves to be, at the very least, casual golfers. The final factor is the high risk age group that comprises the golf population. Recent surveys place the average age of the U.S. golfer somewhere around 54 years old. A lack of understanding of proper mechanics combined with a large and aging population means that for golf specialists and medical professionals, business is pretty good. A great professional in any industry takes very complicated subject matter and makes it simple enough for the average individual to understand. Golf performance is no different. It is extremely valuable for golfers to have a rudimentary understanding of the biomechanical sequence of the golf swing. Possessing some knowledge about these actions can help the golfer to better communicate to the golf professional what aspects of their swing are affecting performance or even to identify and correct the root cause of an injury. The easiest way for the layman golfer to understand golf biomechanics is to break down the joints of the body into two categories: 1) Joints that are intended to be mobile, and 2) Joints that are intended to be stable.
MOBILE JOINTS
STABLE JOINTS
Ankle
Foot
Hip
Knee
Pelvis
Lumbar Spine
Thoracic Spine
Scapula
Shoulder
Elbow
Cervical Spine Wrist
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